Chanute City Commissioners Monday heard updates on projects at Martin Johnson Airport, two of which last week were awarded grants from the Kansas Department of Transportation The largest of the projects will be major maintenance work on the airport’s main runway.
Caleb Coltrane of Garver, the city airport consultant, said there are two options for this work, the first of which would be a standard mill and overlay along with full depth repairs in places where cracks have opened up some 2-3 inches wide. If there aren’t addressed, they would reflect up quickly after the overlay was done.
The second option would involve a full depth reclamation of the runway. Coltrane said this would take a large Bomag machine and grind up the existing asphalt and aggregate base, to which concrete would be added and the resulting mix laid down and rolled, creating a strong base, over which would be applied four inches of new asphalt.
While the latter approach is more costly, Coltrane said it would provide a surface lasting some 20-30 years, compared to the 10 years or so for a regular mill and overlay. Both options are being put out for bid, with those expected to be back in about a month.
The other project being funded is the first phase of a fuel farm project which would allow for 24-hour automated fueling covering one of the fuel types commonly used by aircraft. Currently fueling is done from tanks on one end of the airport trucked to planes. Both tanks and the two trucks used for fueling are in poor condition.
An update was also given on recent projects involving work on parts of a taxiway and apron on the airport.
These projects are funded through a combination of state and federal funds with a small local match, which on the runway project has other funding that reduces the local share to a fraction of what it would otherwise be. This additional funding is slated to run out at the end of the year.
Commission approved fee increases at Stone Creek Golf Course effective April 1st, 2027. The fees will increase by $100 a year for single, weekday and junior memberships, and by $200 for couple and family memberships. Cart Storage fees will increase by $50 for gas carts and $60 for electric carts.
Green fees will remain the same in 2027. Fees were last increased in March 2024. Stone Creek currently has 247 members, and during 2025 course revenues came to just over 322 thousand dollars, up nearly 16,500 dollars from 2024.
Single membership fees are comparable to those at golf courses in Erie and Parsons while their family fees are lower. Chanute’s fees are much lower than costs at Iola Country Club which is private whereas the courses in Chanute, Erie and Parsons are city operated.
A change in meeting dates for their 2nd May meeting was approved, which will be Thursday May 28th. This is largely due to Memorial Day, but it also will allow more time for pricing of Wastewater Treatment Plant bonds, for which a bond ordinance is expected to be presented for approval at this meeting. The Commission approved closing of Highland Avenue between 4th and 5th streets June 20th and July 28th connected with two swim meets, so food vendors can set up there.
It approved the appointment of James Halstead to Library Board, filling an expired term of Dee Ann Parsons, who asked not to be reappointed to a second term. It also approved ten code violation resolutions, one of which involved two addresses.
An update was given on work in progress on improvements to the city’s emergency communications system, which will provide more reliable coverage, particularly on handheld radios when used indoors.
The Commission conducted a brief executive session on matters involving non-elected personnel, with no action taken after it concluded.
